Soho Jazz Festival 2026
Ten Years Reimagined. Forty Years in the Making.
Wednesday 16 to Saturday 19 September 2026
This September the Soho Jazz Festival, Europe’s Grassroots Jazz Festival, returns to the village for its 40th year. In a city of queues and rooftop ticket events, this one stays deliberately close: four days, over 100 artists, every one of them independent, more than 30 shows on ten stages, played in rooms where the audience can see the whites of the band’s eyes. From the traditional sounds of swing, latin and blues to the contemporary new wave and the UK underground scene.
The ten stages are Alfie’s Jazz Club, Ronnie Scott’s, Jack Solomons Club, Archer St., Club Sucre Music Hall, Piano Bar Soho, the 1664 Rosé Room, Cafe Boheme, Sophie’s Steak House and Soho Square Garden on Roblox. Venues run 5pm to 11pm each day.
Over the past 12 years producers Nathan Britton and George Hudson have positioned the festival as Europe’s leading grass roots celebration, welcoming a wave of emerging musicians and local legends across London’s historic jazz quarter. Expect standout sets, raw jam sessions, secret gigs, album drops and live recordings as the UK’s leading voices come together to redefine what jazz culture means in 2026 and beyond.
This year the festival holds its lineup back until August Bank Holiday, Monday 31 August. Until then, sohojazzfestival.com lists the venues playing each day and the themes of the shows; the rest stays a surprise. Pass holders receive the full programme first, by email, the moment it is announced. It is a deliberate choice: the festival has always been about discovery, not the poster.
The festival is anchored by the stages of the Soho Live Music Club. Alfie’s carries the traditional side, the sixty seat room on Greek Street honoured this year as fifth best bar in the world and first in England on F&W’s Global Tastemakers list, judged by over four hundred chefs, writers and travel experts and published by the largest publisher in America (People magazine), with the judges crediting the addition of culturally significant live performance. The Discovery Stage carries the cutting edge, the Club’s newest stage and the return of Soho’s original discovery room at 41 Great Windmill Street.
“Soho has been doing this for 40 years and it has never once been polite about it. We open the doors, turn the lights down and let the best musicians in the country do what they do. If you want to know where British jazz goes next, it is in a Soho basement at 9:00 PM on a Thursday, played by someone you have not heard of yet.”
George Hudson · Festival Producer
Cruising through the action in true British style, a specially kitted out vintage double decker bus hosts mobile gigs, parading the sounds of jazz through the village. Other local spaces host activities, live sessions and in store collaborations, with microphone brand sE Electronics making sure every note rings true. Soho Square Garden, the Soho Live Studios digital playground on Roblox, carries the same programme across the globe.
Passes
Passes are on sale now at the festival box office: www.sohojazzfestival.com. Day Passes cover a single day from £35 at the early allocation price, which runs until 16 August or sell-out, whichever is sooner. The All Access Pass covers all ten stages across all four days from £70 at early allocation, and includes priority entry, the Daily Drop (an exclusive SJF ’26 release every day of the festival) and a complimentary rosé schooner before 7pm each day courtesy of 1664 Blanc. Every pass is named and photo ID is checked at the door, so touts cannot buy them and ours stay at face value. Refunds are available up to 7 days before the festival.
Membership
Soho Live Music Club membership is £55 a year and gives access to more than 1,000 live shows a year across Soho, member prices on festival passes, and exclusive perks throughout the festival. Being part of the Club supports the future of live music and the work of The Audience Trust. Join at soho.live/membership
Soho Jazz Festival is proud to be partnered with 1664 Blanc, official beer partner, who this year take a stage of their own with the 1664 Rosé Room. Backing the scene are the Soho Business Alliance, City of Westminster Council and British music distributor Ditto Music.
Notes to Editors
The Soho Jazz Festival, Europe’s Grassroots Jazz Festival, began in October 1986 and returns for its 40th year from Wednesday 16 to Saturday 19 September 2026. Every artist on the bill is independent. Soho Live Studios re-imagined the festival ten years ago and produces it annually across Soho, London W1.
Festival producers Nathan Britton and George Hudson have spent the last 12 years championing grass roots artists and the future stars of British jazz, providing them with a platform in central London and regular performances throughout the year.
At the festival this year they officially launch the Discovery Stage in the basement of Jack Solomons Club, 41 Great Windmill Street, the room that opened as Club Eleven in 1948 and later became The Scene. It returns as the first grassroots live music venue in Europe certified by Yamaha Sound xR, in a room of ninety. Blessing the stage is young new wave jazz sextet Happy Garden Band, young Folkestone blues talent, Kieren Mensah and Alfa Mist’s latest signing, trumpeter/composer JSPHNX.
Jazz jams run across the week, spotlighting new and upcoming artists including Natalie Lindi alongside Soho legends including Ronnie Scott’s front man Andy Davies.
The 1664 Rosé Room is a new stage created with official beer partner 1664 Blanc.
Soho Square Garden, the Soho Live Studios innovative digital playground on Roblox, carries an awesome virtual line-up featuring Franz Von, Lifford Shillingford and more.
Soho Live Studios was founded in 2014 by musicians George Hudson and Nathan Britton. The company has created 85 stages and staged over 10,000 performances, working with 11,000 independent artists. More than 400 artists who first performed on a Soho Live Studios stage part time now earn a living as full time professional musicians. Soho Live Music Club has over 3,000 members and hosts more than 1,000 live shows a year.
Nathan Britton and George Hudson are available for interview.
Press enquiries: studios@soho.live
Assets: promo.sohojazzfestival.com
“Ten Years Reimagined. Forty Years in the Making.”
Festival Newsroom · Soho Live StudiosFour days, ten stages, over 100 independent artists. Early allocation passes are on sale now from £35, until 16 August or sell-out.
The All Access Pass covers all ten stages across all four days. Day Passes cover a single day. Every pass is named and photo ID is checked at the door.
Box Office